Dream
by omgimwritingfanfics
Summary: When Julian died, Jenny told him she'd dream him into a place filled with only light. So she does. Oneshot.


A/N Another oneshot from my old account, for a pretty small fandom. Oh well. Dayum I wrote this thing years ago.

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The soft golden light shone through her eyelids. Jenny yawned, but didn't bother to turn off her lamp. Ever since the Games she was scared of the darkness, and preferred to sleep with a light on.

As she fell further into unconsciousness, the light seemed to grow more intense, until there was a bright, sharp flash. Suddenly she didn't see the darkness of her closed eyes, but a grassy meadow, the sky an endless blue lit by a golden sun. She was wearing a small cotton dress, the cream colour complimenting her skin. It was the kind of dress Audrey would make her wear, the kind of clothes she found she actually liked instead of always dressing how Tom wanted her to.

The meadow was dotted with rocks, but a large boulder in front of her made her catch her breath. Or rather, the figure sitting on top, his back to her, the figure with white blond hair that gleamed in the light.

_Julian._

A smile bloomed across her face. The small, gaping hole in her chest that had been there since his death seemed to fill. She walked towards him eagerly, the warm breeze caressing her face and blowing a lock of hair back. "Hey."

He turned around with an expectant smile—the second peaceful smile she had seen on him. The first had been when he died. "Jenny."

Was this really just a dream? Everything felt so real—the warmth of the sun on her face, the long grass tickling her calves. But she promised she'd dream him into beautiful places.

She sat down on the rock next to him, smoothing her hands over her skirt. "How are you?" What a stupid question; he's _dead_, remember?

"Better." The sun caught on his moonlight hair as he looked up at the sky and sighed. "Thank you. You did dream me like I asked you."

"How could I not?" She twisted the ring on her finger. _I am my only master._ The inscription upon the ring, the phrase Dee had gotten, from all things, a kung fu movie. But it was a phrase that rang true with all of them. Dee, Audrey, Michael, Zach, Summer, Tom, and of course herself.

"How is everyone?" Julian asked curiously. There was a slight wistfulness to his speech, the wistfulness that came with the knowledge you couldn't have the things that were important to you.

"Dee's going to start college soon," she told him, smiling at the thought. Strong, beautiful Dee, always the fighter, had finally stopped pushing aside the idea of mental strength. "Taking a course in teaching, more specifically, kung fu. She wants to teach kids how to stay strong and fight through any darkness in their lives. Oh, and of course how to karate chop a plank of wood." Even if that part wasn't kung fu.

Julian laughed. It gave the impression of water cascading over rocks. "Sounds like Dee."

This Julian didn't sound like her memories of him. He wasn't showing his lightning side or moonbeam self, but a strange self she had never encountered…suddenly she understood. This side of Julian wasn't just a _side_, it was _him_. At peace.

"Summer's become Zach's muse." Jenny smiled. It was so unlike Zach to fall for Summer—really, Jenny thought the interest would only last a week. But that time had only strengthened Zach's feelings, and Summer was much less muddled then before. "But those shots of the snake he got…everyone thinks they've been tampered with. They still look amazing, though."

"Did you know, in the Shadow World those creatures were my only friends? More…_allies_ then friends, though, nothing in that world has a heart."

"Except you."

A look of confusion and slight anger crossed his face. "I'm still not sure if that's true." He plucked a long bit of grass and chewed on the end of it.

Jenny hurried on, eager to wipe the troubled look off his face. "Michael and Audrey are engaged," she blurted.

"That was…fast."

"The Games only strengthened their relationship."

Julian's mouth twisted. "So the Game was good for something, eh?"

"Well…"

"How's Tommy?"

_Tommy_. Julian used her nickname for Tom and turned it into a mockery, like it was something that tasted bad. Jenny felt her heart clench, just a little, and said defensively, "He's fine. We've made plans to go to Paris next year."

"Ah, Paree." He sounded the slightest bit snarkish. "But…how are _you_?"

Jenny sighed. "The police still come around every day. With the same questions. They think we kidnapped Summer and hid her in Pittsburgh, then when there was too much suspicion we had to go back to get her. Of course, they didn't seem to wonder how we got to Pittsburgh in the first place to _hide_ her. Maybe we had contacts! Maybe we're all part of a bigger conspiracy! And as for how I feel…I don't know. I love Tom. I love my friends. But really, I'm a mess." She was startled at her outpouring of truth.

"Friends," Julian murmured. "I wonder what it's like to have them." A small smile wrenched his mouth, not unlike the treacherous smiles he gave Jenny in the Game.

"I'm your friend," she reminded him.

"Nothing but a friend." He nodded in acknowledgement of the subject neither of them would mention.

"Oh—Julian—"

Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her cheek. They were cool and soft, and when he drew back, she saw his impossibly blue eyes seemed to be glowing—with a start, she realised they were unshed tears. "Keep dreaming of me, will you Jenny? It's nice, talking to you."

Just talking. Jenny understood what he meant completely. No secrets, trickery, danger or any Game, just talking to him filled the little ache in her. She turned to tell him this, a peaceful smile on her face, but he was already melting away. Like ripples in a golden pond.

His eyes were still visible, even as she swam back into consciousness. The beautiful blue was soft…and happy. Julian was finally, truly happy.

A loud rap on her bedroom door brought her to full awareness with a start. She blinked blearily as her mother told her in a loud voice she was going to be drastically late for school.

_Would I ever know if the dream was real?_ She thought, sighing. Was it actually Julian she had been talking to, or just a figment of her imagination, a memory of the moonbeam side he had hidden so well?

She pushed herself into a sitting position and swept the hair out of her eyes.

And caught sight of the silver rose on her pillow.


End file.
